UAE | General

Myanmar expats fear for loved ones

Myanmar expatriates in the UAE are desperate for any information about loved ones in the Southeast Asian country, which was struck by a cyclone that killed at least 22,000 and left more than 40,000 missing.

  • By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:36 May 7, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Mariam M. Al Serkal/Gulf News
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Dubai: Myanmar expatriates in the UAE are desperate for any information about loved ones in the Southeast Asian country, which was struck by a cyclone that killed at least 22,000 and left more than 40,000 missing.

The expatriates, many of whom work in the hospitality industry, have not been able to contact their families and loved ones as the weekend Cyclone Nargis, with its 190-kilometre-per hour winds, downed communication and power lines in the capital city of Yangon and the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta. State officials say more than 4,000 people in Yangon were confirmed dead, while tidal waves wiped out much of the delta.

None in the UAE has been able to get any official information from the country, as Myanmar does not have an embassy or consulate here. The closest embassy is in Egypt.

Nancy Ming-e, whose family lives in the eastern part of the country, broke down when she thought about her parents and nine siblings.

"I haven't been able to call them yet. The internet and phone lines are down. I'm very worried. It's very difficult to get information from my area," she said, her eyes filling with tears.

Her hope for any news now lies with her younger sister, who lives in Thailand. She told Gulf News she would ask her younger sister to go to their home in Myanmar and find their family. Her fears do not end there, however. Thus far, she has not dared to contemplate the possible fate of her cousins who lived in Yangon, one of the areas hardest hit by the cyclone.

"My cousins live in the capital city, they're at universities ... I don't have any idea what's happened to them," she added, crying.

Silence

Chris Moezaw, whose parents, elder brother, sister-in-law and niece, live in Yangon, told Gulf News he has been trying to remain calm despite the silence.

"I've been trying to contact them for the last two days, either through the telephone or the internet," he said.

"The first day, when I heard the news, I wasn't that worried. But after I saw the images on TV, I became worried, I want to know more details. The biggest problem is not knowing," he added.

Although he understood that the phone and power lines were down, thus making communication difficult, he said it did not make him feel better. Despite the silence and the news updates, he tries hard to hold fast to the hope that his family is safe and well.

"My brother will take care of my parents. And they are all very strong [in spirit]," he added.

Other than the 15,000 death toll, several hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless, according to the United Nations. Food and water supplies are running low in Yangon, even as international aid organisations wait for visas to enter the secretive military-led country.

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